Repeatedly tried to find out if a form that I submitted had been sent to the National Office. I explained repeatedly to female what the form was & why it needed to be faxed to National. 20 minutes & she was still clueless. Called a contact at National suggesting this female pis-ant be transferred to the furthermost site next to Santa's Reindeer. She is absolutely no use to humans & doesn't appear to give a rats about helping customers. Can't fire her as the union protects incompetent employees. Sent a copy of the form to my contact in National as well as a cover letter. To think our tax dollars are paying her salary. Private sector would have bounced her after the first report. read more

Just had an appointment with Judy at the Bellevue office. She is fantastic! If private business can provide the service (with s great smile) she does, they will surely be successful. My highest regards. Oh...I should mention that I was fortunate enough to see her last year....same thing! John read more

I can't imagine things being any worse in the old Soviet Union than they are in this totally incompetent branch of a totally incompetent government bureau. I retired Jan 1, 2008 at age 63, and began receiving Social Security retirement benefits immediately. Over the next couple of months I received checks for my final week of work in 2007, a bonus based on my total earnings for 2007, and payouts for unused vacation and sick leave accumulated in 41 years of employment. In September , 2008 I received a notice that my SS benefits had been overpaid in 2008 because I had worked that year, and earned more than the maximum allowed earnings. SS officials based their ruling on the special payments listed above, and concluded that I owe the government $15,000. These types of payments are explicitly excluded from the earnings limit. I visited the Bellevue SS office, and after a 2.5 hour wait I was able to speak to a seemingly competent employee. She understood my problem completely, accepted my written appeal and documentation, and assured me that SS would correct its error. But they have not corrected their error, and have continued to send me notices that I owe them $15,000--this has now been going on for eight months. Tomorrow I will visit this dreadful office again and take another crack at them. If a real business ran this way it would be out of business quaickly (unless it was a really large bank). read more

I came here today to get my name changed following my marriage 2 weeks ago. I brought the documents needed (or at least what the website SAID was needed), just to wait in line for 2 hours and then get to the desk FINALLY and have the guy not know anything about his job and make we wait even more time just to tell me the marriage license I brought doesn't work because it doesn't have the exact date of marriage. This would be less frustrating if we didn't have to wait 2 hours being told all we needed was my id and proof of marriage. If they need a specific document, they should make that aware before I go. Also the staff was incredibly rude. Kept being super rude to everyone who did not speak English and yelling at them to leave if they don't like the rules, even though it was very clear they were just confused because they didn't understand. Overall extremely disappointing. Wish our taxpayer dollars went toward paying deserving people. UPDATE: Came back again to get my social security number and the security officers refused to help a lady with the check in kiosk. She came up and asked for help and he said "follow the screen" and everyone could tell she was so confused and some random person there had to come there. I might try to report him because he is being super rude. To give you a heads up, he is the big white man. read more

Make an appointment if you need to go and save your time/sanity. Walk-ins need to take a ticket, but cant tell you even an approximate waiting time or if your number was called. This is ridiculous. Why can't they tell if the number was called or not. The day I visited, the place was filled with senior citizens and I felt bad for them. Some of them would miss their number because they didn't hear and there is no way to check, and they had to get a new number and start all over again. The security officer was completely useless and showed no empathy. The security officer had no answers or was helpful so I didn't understand why they even had him. read more

I've been here over an hour now, I've just witnessed multiple people walking out in frustration. There aren't enough chairs so a lot of people are standing, including the elderly. Some people need the social security benefits so they are forced to stay. With the tax dollars we pay can't this office afford to rent out the office next door? It was 11am on a Tuesday when I arrived. read more

Walked in to get a replacement ss card for my son, took a number and was called before my seat even warmed. The rep typed at a thousand miles an hour and 10 minutes later I was done. Could not possibly have been any faster or more efficient. He even apologized that it took so long!! 10 minutes in a government office to get anything is a world speed record in my book! read more

I was in a hurry for an urgent matter. I waited in line on a Wednesday morning before it opened. I only waited 10-15 minutes until I got in to get a number. After getting my number my wait was less than 10 min to be called to check in. I completed my form and was called to be seen again no more than 10-15 minutes. My transaction was completed quickly and I was on my way. After reading some of the reviews I was expecting a very long wait but I was pleasantly surprised to be done so quickly. The building was clean and organized and the employees were very nice. read more

My wife and I were recently married and are going through the permanent residency process. So far we have tried to apply for her social security three times in three months and have yet to receive her card although they promised us it would arrive within two weeks, both times! One lady was finally smart enough to have the card sent to the office and two weeks later the card still hasn't arrived!!! The staff here is incompetent and rude. This location should be shut down! If you need to go to a social security office DO NOT waste your time here. read more

Longest wait ever. And the workers weren't very nice. Nor did they look like they were having a good day.. :(

These people are terrible! They constantly hang up on you or transfer you to voicemails that no one returns. If you call back then they will only hang up and tell you they have people in the lobby to help. But waiting for days on the phone for someone to call you back is unacceptable and whenever you get a human they are the most condescending people I have ever dealt with. read more

get over it, they are trying their best. Its not an easy job. There are a lot of public and very few public servants. Give them a break

Horrible. Every year, a worker gets a statement of some sort stating every year they worked and what they made. Somewhere in there the SSA states: "if you became disabled right now, your payments would be about $xxx". So the average worker might think, "I'll be able to pay my bills and keep my home in the event that I become disabled". Not exactly the case unless you saved up a nest egg for about 3 years while your case moves through the bogged down system, or someone else who is willing to completely support you the entire time. None of that was explained to me, either on that paper they send every year nor anywhere else. Not even my lawyer fully explained the process. Allow me to explain the process to you... 1. You file for the Social Security benefits you're entitled to, your claim is denied. 2. You have to hire a Social security attorney (they take contingentcy cases, meaning if you lose, they don't get paid.) 3. It takes 18 months to get to court 4. After about 5 months the judge makes a decision 5. The judge sends the decision to "a writer" (I guess the judge wants an "approved" or "denied" written really cool) 6. Wait for the professionally written decision in the mail. I'm at #6 after 3 years of having my family support me and pay for EVERYTHING. I feel less than worthless. This process takes so long some people lose everything even take their own lives due to the depression. Shame on the US government for taking their sweet time taking care of America's disabled workers!!! read more

This is a GREAT place -- if you want to catch coronavirus! I couldn't do my business online -- their rules -- and I also wasn't allowed to make an appointment by phone. So I went to the office mid-afternoon. The waiting room was jammed with some people standing up and others sitting, shoulder-to shoulder. I decided to come back another time, mid-morning the next day. That was just as bad. On my third visit, first thing in the morning, it was just as packed but I gave up and went inside. After I took a number, I had to wait an hour and a half for it to be called. A man at a desk asked me a couple questions and then gave me ANOTHER NUMBER. Then I had to sit for another hour and a half waiting to be called by a different person. When it was my turn with that person, she asked me a few more questions, typed something on her computer, and then told me to come back AGAIN for an "appointment" in three weeks. That was literally all I accomplished in 3 hours: getting an appointment for an "interview." In the meantime, coronavirus has struck the eastside -- and I have to go back into that crowded office yet again. This is nuts! They could immediately cut their crowd in half by letting people make appointments over the telephone. So why don't they? read more

I called and the person was put out that she had to help me. I had to ask her why she was so impatient and short with me. answer was "just go on and ask your question" read more

The person at the counter was so rude and uncaring and unwilling to offer any kind of assistance or information. She was abrupt and offensive. I can't believe they would have a person like that dealing with the public. read more

I've gotten to the point where I don't expect much from government offices. The Social Security Office in Bellevue was no different. The wait was long: an hour from start to finish, five minutes of that hour with an actual employee. The place was cramped and loud. I get that mothers need to bring their children, but they might choose slightly less loud toys to occupy them. The women behind the counter was bored out of her mind -- and she'd only been on the clock for 1.5 hours. The worst part? Their hours. They close at 3pm M, Tu, Th, and Fri, and at 12pm on Wed. As a teacher, those are impossible hours! I wish they would consider having one or two nights end later. Perhaps, they could open from 11am-5pm twice a week. They would still be operational the same number of hours, just open a bit later. Just a thought! read more

if you're teaching a course on incompetence, then this is the place to send students to observe. after 4 trips, with different answers to the same question each time, expect to deal with people who don't have any idea what they're doing. on the up side, the security people seem ok. read more

Note - staff in this office do not seem to log any information on your visits into their computers and they lose documents often. If I had to deal with them again I would document all visits with names, information given, etc. and ask them to document my visits in their system. Three times over the last three years I've been given incorrect information in this office. The first time their misinformation caused me to lose over $1500 in SS benefits. My written appeal, which I was directed to place in a box on the wall within their offices, was never responded to. When I returned to the office to discuss it, I was told they would follow up on it but I've have never heard back. The third incident happened recently when I visited the office in person again to request direction on enrolling in Medicare under special circumstances. I followed the directions given and returned a few weeks later to make sure the process was underway. I was told there was no record of my visit in the system and the paperwork my former employer had faxed in weeks earlier, at their direction, could not be located. I had to start the process over again. My advice if you have to visit this office is to not assume anything and to document absolutely everything and insist they document your visits in their system also. read more

WHAT THE HELL! I came here early (8:30 am) to sign up for social security benefit, and was told I have to make an appointment. There was only one person on line whom had an appointment for what ever! She can't spend 30 minutes to help me file for the benefits !? What a JOKE! read more

The wait was normal for a Gov't agency. What ticked me off was the parking lot. It was a pay lot and they didn't except anything but cash. No notice of this except a small sign posted at the attendant shack as your leaving. I had to go next door to a B of A cash machine that charged me $3. The fee for parking was $4. What a rip off! read more

Worst Social Security office, waited more than an hour and left without being accepted. Overcrowded, people are standing in the middle of waiting room. Not possible to find available parking spot so parked a block away. Taxes well spent read more

Received papers from them to fill out for continued Disibility for my son. I sent them in like they requested. One week later I get the same type of papers to fill out again, because they claimed they didn't receive the last ones. Than two days later I received a letter from them, that my sons disability payments will continue. Now I have to call them & see if they still want me to fill out these other papers. Wish me luck! I'm the kind of person if I get a rude person, I will hang up, & keep calling back until I find someone who will be nice & answer my question. Have a good day all. read more